News

Memorial welcomes appointment to chair Board of Regents
Monday, February 18, 2013
Iris Petten

Iris Petten

Joan Shea, provincial minister of Advanced Education and Skills, has announced the appointment of Iris Petten as the next chair of the Board of Regents of Memorial University. The appointment is made by the provincial cabinet. The minister also announced the re-appointment of several members of the board.

Dr. Gary Kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor of Memorial University, welcomed the announcements. "Ms. Petten has had considerable connections with Memorial, particularly through our Marine Institute where she has served on the advisory board and on the review committee we established to develop the position of vice-president for that campus," he said.

"She has been a strong supporter of the university and of our efforts to enrich the lives and experiences of our students. "For example, Ms. Petten established a scholarship at the Marine Institute to offer financial assistance to students who plan to work in and improve the fishing sector. So this is an inspired and inspiring choice as our next board chair."

An alumna of Memorial (BA, 1984' B.Voc.Ed., 1997), Ms. Petten succeeds Bob Simmonds, who stepped down as chair last November, and Eleanor Swanson who has been acting chair in the interim.

"I want to thank Ms. Swanson for her steady leadership during the transitional period,"  said the president. Ms. Swanson will now resume her position as vice-chair of the board.

The re-appointed members of the Board of Regents include Sheila Ashton, Patsy Coish-Snow, Mary Cormier, Brian Dalton, Michelle Daye, James Keating, William Matthews, Vinod Patel, Anthony Roche and Kathleen Roul. They are all re-appointed for a second three-year term.

"This is also welcome news," said Dr. Kachanoski. "The experience and wisdom they bring to the life of Memorial is invaluable, and I look forward to continuing working with all of our Regents in managing this university, which is so vitally important to the future of the province."

The Board of Regents is the governing body of Memorial University. Its 30 members are representative of the public and the institution. Most are appointed by the provincial government, including the chair and student representatives. Six members are elected by Memorial's alumni.

For more, see http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2013/aes/0214n05.htm.